Feeling heartbroken after the end of a relationship, Roman Tsunder decided to go to magic school. He had a knack for it, and at 28 he ended up getting a degree.
“My job is to make people say, ‘Wow!’ according to Tsunder. “It doesn’t matter if it’s cards, or coins, or illusions. It’s all about storytelling, and magic, and dreaming.“
Everything that Tsunder does sounds a little magical. Take the company he cofounded, Plan To Take On the World! (Yes, the exclamation point is part of the name.) It’s all about taking a concept that doesn’t sound very sexy—an invite-only membership network of leaders from various industries—and transforms it into an organization that everyone is clambering to join. Members of this exclusive group range from David Blaine to the Dalai Lama.
“I have the privilege of being around some of the most influential people in the world, whether it’s Kelly Slater for surfing, or Kerri Walsh Jennings for volleyball, or Tony Hawk for skating,” says Tsunder. “And there’s a commonality among those people. They don’t have a work-life balance, they have a work-life harmony.”
We talked with the about PPTOW! and the plans his organization has for global domination.
Tell is what inspired you to create Plan To Take On the World!
It’s a passion project. It wasn’t supposed to be a company. And the reason why we created PTTOW! is because the majority of the world is under the age of 30—that’s 60% to 70% in the Middle East, Africa, and South America. This next generation is not only overthrowing countries, as in the case of Egypt, but also reinventing industries, as in the case of transportation or music. And whether it’s musical.ly or Snapchat, they are creating the future of our culture.
So it just seemed crazy to me that there wasn’t a place where the leaders that shape our culture across all 70 industries—from space travel to fashion, music to sports—could get together to discuss creating the future of culture. It just didn’t exist. And if it existed, I probably would have joined that person’s organization. So I created it along with my cofounders.
You gather so many creative minds in one place. Who would be at your dream dinner?
I actually hosted a dream dinner. It was called the “Worlds’ Masters Dinner.” It was inspired by one of my favorite books, The Night Circus, which is about creating the most magical experience in the world. So I kind of created our own version.
To be invited, you had to be the best in the world at your craft. We had people like Lindsey Stirling, one of the top violinists in the world, the head of MOCA Museum, and the Dalai Lama’s personal emissary for peace. A big thing for me is to create dreams into reality, and we did that with this dinner!
What is your goal for the upcoming WORLDZ Summit this summer? Who do you hope will be able to attend and tune in?
One of our ethos is around generosity. And so WORLDZ is really for our members. Our hope is to help our members become better leaders, learn how to be better at their jobs and lives, and find their most important friendships that can turn into business opportunities. And most importantly, we want to make sure everyone has fun while they are there.
The event is open to the public. We wanted it to be an open environment so that anybody who had a dream to pursue could be a part of it. This is for anyone who is an innovator, a rule-breaker, and who wants to achieve epic things.
When you’re not working to make the world a better place, what’s your day-to-day routine like?
To be the best in the world is what I want to do in my life. And you have to put in more hours and be more focused than anyone else. So I have a very strict routine during the week and on weekends. I have a time I get up, and I compartmentalize, so that I’m very efficient when it comes to spending my time so that I’m at most peak performance, whether it’s work or just hanging out. For me, every moment counts. The most valuable commodity we have in life is our time, and so I try to be really thoughtful about how I spend it.
